Rupee better placed than many other global currencies: Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday said the rupee’s performance against the greenback is better than that of many other global currencies despite the depreciation in recent months. The domestic currency breached the psychological barrier of 79 per dollar for the first time on Wednesday, before rising marginally on suspected RBI intervention to close at 78.97. The rupee has lost 6% so far in 2022 and about 2% in June, as strong dollar, high crude oil prices and sustained capital outflows pressured the domestic currency. However, the Philippine peso has lost over 7% and the South Korean won has shed more than 8% against the dollar in 2022. Currencies of many countries, especially the emerging markets, have been weakening sharply against the dollar, especially after the US Federal Reserve started raising interest rates to curb runaway inflation. Price pressure across economies has spiked in recent months, more so after the Ukraine war hit the global supply chains and contributed to a surge in oil prices. Consequently, central banks of key economies, including India, were forced to hike policy rates to control inflation, which will weigh down economic growth prospects. The RBI has been intervening in the market since the outbreak of the Ukraine war in late February to prevent a sharp depreciation of the rupee. Since February 25, the country’s foreign exchange reserves have dropped by almost $41 billion. Last week, RBI deputy governor Michael Patra said the central bank was not looking at restricting the rupee at a particular level but it had been intervening in the market to curb sharp volatility and prevent “jerky movements” of the currency.
The Japanese pharma major is also filing a plea before the Delhi HC seeking appointment of forensic auditors to analyse transactions involving IHH, Fortis Healthcare and RHT, Singapore, as directed by the HC on October 18.
The development is likely to create legal hurdles and delay the proposed open offer as IHH had recently told FE that it could only go ahead if Sebi agreed with its legal interpretation that the SC’s September 22 order has lifted all such restraints.
IHH managing director and CEO Kelvin Loh told FE on November 9 that the company would like to go ahead with the open offer “as soon as possible” as there has already been a delay of four years. Ravi Rajagopal, chairman of Fortis Healthcare, had added that their legal counsel has advised that the company can go ahead with the open offer as the SC order has disposed of various appeals, including the suo motu contempt. “We have represented to the Sebi and the matter is with them,” Rajagopal had said.
However, legal observers told FE that the matter is not that straightforward and simple as the Delhi HC has to take the final call on the matter of open offer as well as whether a forensic audit has to be done in the share sale which was executed in 2018.
Also Read: IHH to float open offer for Fortis if Sebi concurs with our legal view: MD & CEO
Loh and Rajagopal had said the possibility that the matter may take a different turn when it comes up in Delhi HC cannot be ruled out.
IHH had in July 2018 acquired a 31% stake in Fortis Healthcare for Rs 4,000 crore through the bidding route. It had also earmarked Rs 3,000 crore to make an open offer for an additional 26% to the public shareholders as required under the law.
Daiichi has written to Sebi that the SC in its September 22 order had asked the HC to consider ordering a forensic audit into the dilution of FHL shareholding, repeated violation of undertakings and assurance by former FHL promoters — Malvinder and Shivinder Singh — and the transaction between FHL, IHH and the clandestine transfer of Rs 4,666 crore to RHT Singapore.
Daiichi is “severely prejudiced” with IHH’s clandestine attempt to subvert the status quo order directed by the SC on December 14, 2018, and September 22 with respect to the conduct of forensic audit and the pending proceedings before the HC by purportedly consulting regulatory authorities, including Sebi, on the proposed FHL-IHH transaction. It has reiterated that the FHL-IHH transaction was currently sub-judice before the HC where FHL is also a party, its solicitors, P&A Law Offices, have said in the letter.
“We further state that any such attempt by FHL and/or IHH to proceed with the FHH-IHH transaction would be in direct contravention of the HC and SC orders,” the letter sent by the law firm has stated. Daiichi Sankyo is pursuing the enforcement of Rs 3,500-crore arbitration award against the Singh brothers pronounced by a Singapore tribunal for concealing information when they sold Ranbaxy Laboratories to it for $4.6 billion in 2008. The apex court had in 2018 put on hold the sale of Fortis Healthcare to IHH on a contempt plea filed by the Japanese drugmaker against the Singh brothers.